TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Seminoles will travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., on January 20th for a 7 p.m. tilt with the Tar Heels of North Carolina. Florida State will then close out the month of January with three straight home games. Georgia Tech holds a slim 10-9 edge in the series with Florida State. The Yellow Jackets swept the Seminoles last season, 92-70 in Atlanta and 86-78 in Tallahassee, but the Tribe won the two games in 1997-98. FSU is 2-6 vs. Georgia Tech in games played in Tallahassee.

LAST TIME OUT Despite 28 strong points from senior Latavia Coleman, the Florida State women’s basketball team missed a chance to win at the buzzer and fell 68-67 to Maryland at Cole Field House Wednesday night.

The Seminoles trailed by just three at 35-32 at halftime, but had to come-from-behind after a slow start. Maryland scored the game’s first six points and led by nine early at 14-5 at the 14:15 mark. Trailing 19-12, the Tribe scored eight straight points to take its first lead at 20-19 with 7:51 to go. The two clubs traded leads. FSU went up 26-22, but then went scoreless for more than three minutes and allowed Maryland to score six straight and take the lead back. Coleman led FSU with 10 and Levys Torres had five rebounds. Rebounds were knotted at 20 apiece, but Maryland edged FSU in shooting, .457 to .441.

The second half started much like the first half – all Maryland. The Terps scored five straight to take an eight point advantage at 40-32. FSU again played comeback ball and took back the lead at 47-45 at 10:51 thanks to a 12-2 Seminole run. The remainder of the game went neck and neck. Maryland went up by four points once, only to have FSU again come back and take a one-point lead at 59-58 with just under five minutes to play. The Terps’ Marne Strickland, who led the team with 24 points, hit one of her three treys on their next possession to give Maryland the lead for good. The fifth tie of the game came with 57 seconds to go, but FSU failed to go ahead on its next possession as Torres’ layup just missed and Maryland’s Rosita Melbourne hit the second of two free throws with 15 seconds left to give the Terps the one-point advantage. FSU could not score the win as Angela Sutton’s off-balanced jumper missed with two seconds left.

Coleman was the only FSU player to hit double-digits, but three Seminoles, Coleman, Brooke Wyckoff and Torres, tallied seven rebounds apiece.

LAST YEAR VS. THE YELLOW JACKETS

GAME ONE: For the second straight game, three Seminoles fouled out as Florida State, playing without the services of starters Latavia Coleman and Angela Sutton, fell 92-70 to Georgia Tech at Alexander Memorial Coliseum.

In the first half, an April Traylor three-pointer gave the Seminoles a 10-point advantage at 16-6 at the 13:17 mark, but then the scoring stopped for Florida State. The Tribe failed to score again until 7:57 left in the first half during which time Georgia Tech went on a 12-0 run to take an 18-16 lead. After tying the game at 7:57, the Tribe went on to build a six-point lead at 27-21 on another trey by Traylor, but scored just three baskets in the remaining time and went into the lockerroom with a slim one-point lead at 33-32.

A city power-surge delayed the start of the game as the lights at Alexander Memorial Coliseum went out during pre-game warmups. The problem reoccurred at the 13:55 mark of the second half, again delaying action for approximately 23 minutes. When play resumed, the Seminoles, who trailed by just seven at 49-42, couldn’t do anything right. Georgia Tech had the momentum and scored 14 of the game’s next 18 points and gained control of the game. Tamara Gracey was the first to foul out of the game with nine minutes to play. Starters Brooke Wyckoff and Arleshia Davidson were both eliminated with just over five minutes to play. After going 7-or-9 from the free throw line in the first half, Florida State started the half going 1-for-6 from the charity stripe and ended the game shooting 21-31 from the line. Wyckoff recorded her second-straight double-double and fourth of the year with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

GAME TWO: Jen Robinson scored a career-high 31 points, including a career-high six three pointers, but the Seminoles fell 86-78 to Georgia Tech at the Tallahassee-Leon County CC.

As in the first game vs. the Yellow Jackets, Florida State started out strong and led quickly by seven points at 10-3 off of three-pointers by Robinson and April Traylor. Georgia Tech came back to tie the game at 27-27 with just under nine minutes remaining in the first half and then outscored FSU 18-10 the rest of the way to take a 45-37 lead into the halftime break. It was a three-point extravaganza for Tech’s Danielle Donehew as the junior went 6-for-6 from beyond the arc in the first half to lead all players with 18 points. Niesha Butler added 13 first half points as the Jackets shot 57 percent for the half.

FSU led only once in the second half, despite pulling within three points or under 11 times and forcing one tie. Trailing 53-60 at the eight minute mark, Robinson went to work for the Seminoles and scored three straight treys to pull the Tribe within a point. Robinson scored 24 second-half points, including 19 in the game’s final 7:39. FSU’s only lead was at 66-65 off of a Robinson layup at the 4:17 mark. Tech did not back down, however, and scored eight of the game’s next 10 points to go back up by five. Another Robinson trey pulled FSU within two at 71-73 with 1:47 to go, but Tech made its free throws down the stretch and again went on a 10-2 run to match its largest lead of 10 points, before taking the 86-78 victory.

GOOD GOLLY MISS MOLLY! Freshman Molly Beal had a career day vs. Virginia. as she went 5-for-7 from three-point land for a season-high 15 points. Beal was instrumental in FSU’s comeback vs. the Cavaliers. Beal and April Traylor combined for five straight three pointers during a three-minute stretch which helped FSU to pull to within two points.

5-4-3-1 … THE COUNTDOWN CONTINUES Florida State has lost its first four ACC games by a total of 13 points and each game the Tribe gets closer to victory. The margins have been Wake Forest by 5, NC State by 4, Virginia by 3 and Maryland by 1.

AFTER FOUR ACC GAMES LAST YEAR… FSU was 0-4 after its first four league games last season, but the Tribe lost those games by an average of 15.9 points. This year, FSU has lost its first four league games by an average of 3.3 points. FSU’s first ACC win last year came in the sixth league game — an 80-57 win over Wake Forest.

TAY CAN PLAYLatavia Coleman had another outstanding outing in the Tribe’s one-point loss to Maryland. The senior forward scored a game-high 28 points and grabbed seven rebounds. For the game, she shot 83 percent from the field (10-12) and 89 percent (8-9) from the free throw line.

BRADLEY OUT 4-6 WEEKS Freshman Lauren Bradley suffered a fracture to her right foot during the NC State game and will be out 4-to-6 weeks. Bradley is averaging 8.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.

REBOUND THAT BASKETBALL Florida State has added height to its roster this season and it is paying off in the rebounding department. FSU has outrebounded its opponent in 10 of 14 games, including all four ACC games, this season and five different players have led the team. Here’s a breakdown:

GAME

MARGIN

FSU LEADER

Tulsa

48-36

+12

Col/Brad 9

USF

33-36

-3

Bradley/Torres 7

UT-Chattanooga

45-34

+9

Coleman 9

Oakland

39-30

+9

Vujas 8

Mercer

35-29

+6

Bradley 9

Florida

33-48

-15

Coleman

Loyola

52-28

+24

Col/Brad/Vuj 8

Chicago State

48-33

+15

Torres 9

St. John’s

45-47

-2

Coleman 11

FIU

38-44

-6

Torres 8

Wake Forest

47-36

+9

Wyckoff 11

NC State

33-30

+3

Wyckoff 10

Virginia

34-28

+6

Wyckoff 10

Maryland

39-37

+2

Wyc/Col/Torr 7

NO LEAD IS TOO BIG FSU has fallen behind by double digits in two of the ast three contests before coming back to make a game ot it. In the NC State game, the Wolfpack had the Tribe down by 12 before FSU pulled to within two points. Against Virginia, FSU fell behind by 17 in the first half and trailed by 13 at the break. In the second half, the Seminoles rallied from 14 down to tie the game with 3:33 to play.

FSU AND FREE THROW The Seminoles have struggled from the free throw line this season, but are beginning to show steady improvement. The Tribe went 18-for-30 in its four-point loss to No. 3 NC State, but improved with a season-high 80 percent (12-15) showing vs. UVA. At Maryland, it was 77 percent (13-17). They shot a season-low 55 percent from the free throw line in the Chicago State game.

CLOSING THE GAP Of FSU’s 14 losses to NC State since 1991-92, the January 6 four-point game was the closest margin. FSU’s three-point loss to UVA was also the closest the Tribe has ever gotten to the Cavaliers, who hold a perfect 19-0 record over the Seminoles.

WHO’S THE LEADER Leading scorer Latavia Coleman was held to single digits for two straight games, but the Tribe has had players emerge. In its 14 games, four different players have led the team in scoring, while five different players have held the rebounding honors.

IN THE LEAGUE Entering the week, here’s where FSU players rank in ACC stats…

ON THE RUN FSU had big runs to open the second halves of the St. John’s and FIU games. Against the Red Storm, the Tribe had a 10-0 start while against FIU, the Seminoles ran off 11 unanswered points.

WIN STREAK FSU’s four-game win streak was the program’s longest win streak since the 1991-92 season. That year, FSU defeated Northern Illinois, FAMU, Florida Atlantic and Oral Roberts before ending the season with a loss to North Carolina in the ACC Tournament. The Seminoles finished 17-11 in 1991-92 – which also marks the last time FSU had a winning season.

REVENGE TIME Florida State’s win over Florida International not only snapped a two-game losing streak to the Golden Panthers, but the Sun & Fun tournament title also gave the Seminoles some sweet revenge. FIU won FSU’s tournament in both 1997-98 and 1998-99.

CLASSIC HONORSLatavia Coleman, who averaged 16.0 points and 8.0 rebounds through the two games at the FIU Sun & Fun Classic, earned tournament Most Valuable Player honors while Brooke Wyckoff was named to the All-Tournament Team with averages of 11.0 points and 6.5 rebounds.

COLEMAN EARNS SECOND ACC HONORLatavia Coleman’s MVP performance at the FIU Sun & Fun Classic earned the senior her second ACC Player of the Week honor this season. She averaged 16.0 points and 8.0 rebounds and had her first double-double of the season.

DOUBLE TROUBLELatavia Coleman recorded her first double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds vs. St. John’s. Brooke Wyckoff earned her first double-double of the year with 12 points and 10 boards vs. NC State and had another with 18 points and 10 rebounds vs. Virginia.

OUR KIND OF TOWN — CHICAGO IS! The Seminoles won their two games in Chicago by a margin of 23 points and outrebounded their opponents by an average of 19.5 boards. Everyone, who was able, saw action in both games.

VUJAS HAD RAMBLERS’ NUMBER Freshman Katelyn Vujas had her best game of the season with 18 points and eight rebounds vs. Loyola. The rookie center shot 82 percent from the field on 9-11 and her eight boards tied for team honors. Vujas made the start vs. Chicago State in place of Lauren Bradley, who was ill, and again scored in double figures with 12 points.

CENTURY MARK Florida State’s 102 points vs. Loyola was the first time the Tribe has reached the century mark this season and 21st time in the program’s history. FSU did it last year in its 112-101 overtime loss to North Carolina. The Seminoles nearly reached the plateau earlier this season with 99 points vs. Oakland.

SEASON SUPERLATIVES ALL IN ONE GAME! FSU shot a season-high 59 percent vs. Loyola and had its largest margin of victory this season at 32 points. The Tribe outrebounded the Ramblers by 24 — also a season-high.

TORRES TEARS IT UP Junior newcomer Levys Torres grabbed a season-high nine rebounds to lead all FSU players vs. Chicago State. Torres played 21 minutes off of the bench and added five points to her effort.

BROOKE’S BACK! Junior starter Brooke Wyckoff, who broke the pinky finger on her right hand in practice on Nov. 4th and had pins surgically placed to repair the injury, made her season-debut against the Gators. She scored six points and grabbed six rebounds in 28 minutes of play off of the bench. She also had two assists, a block and a steal.

Wyckoff seems to be getting back to form. She re-entered the starting lineup vs. Loyola and has scored in double figures in five of the last eight games.

DISHIN’ IT OUT Sophomore April Traylor’s 4.8 assists per game leads the team and is among the leaders in the ACC. Traylor, who is second on the team in scoring at 12.8 ppg, recorded a career-high nine assists in the Chicago State game.

CAN’T STOP COLEMANLatavia Coleman came back to the court this season on a mission! She not only leads the team in scoring, but is among the leaders in the ACC as well. She has scored in double figures in 12 of 14 games, including a season-high 32 in the season-opener vs. Tulsa.

FROM BEYOND THE ARC Sophomore April Traylor hit a career-high four three-pointers against Florida as the Tribe (5-16) outshot the Lady Gators (4-7) from three point land.

SECOND HALF TEAM? Against Oakland, Mercer, Loyola and St. John’s, FSU had amazing shooting performances in the second half. FSU shot 63 percent against Loyola (24-38) and Mercer (20-32) while against Oakland, the Seminoles shot 62 percent on 23-for-37. In the St. John’s game, FSU went 12-of-20 for 60 percent. The Tribe also committed a season-low 13 turnovers against Oakland.

CLOSE GAME The Tribe was within two points with under two minutes to play against Florida, but had to foul down the stretch which created the final eight-point deficit. Eight points is the closest FSU has played UF since the 81-78 loss back in 1992-93.

THE SUTTON-TRAYLOR SHOW The guard duo of Angela Sutton and April Traylor put on a show in the second half of the Mercer game. The two combined for 25 of FSU’s 49 second half points and went 10-16 from the field.

SEMINOLES FROM THE STATE OF FLORIDA Florida State has three players on its roster from the state of Florida. Vanessa Fuchs hails from Pompano Beach, freshman Shinikki Whiting, the 1999 Miss Florida Basketball and state Class 5A player of the year is from Clearwater and freshman Lauren Bradley, the state Class 6A player of the year and runner up to Whiting for Miss Florida Basketball, is from Lake Mary. Each have started this season.

THE STARTING LINE-UP Florida State has had eight different starting lineups so far this season.

Tulsa

Traylor-Sutton-Whiting-Bradley-Coleman

USF

Traylor-Sutton-Whiting-Bradley-Coleman

UT-Chatt.

Traylor-Sutton-Whiting-Bradley-Coleman

Oakland

Springle-Sutton-Fuchs-Torres-Coleman

Mercer

Traylor-Sutton-Fuchs-Torres-Coleman

Florida

Traylor-Sutton-Fuchs-Bradley-Coleman

Loyola

Traylor-Sutton-Wyckoff-Bradley-Coleman

Chicago St.

Traylor-Sutton-Wyckoff-Vujas-Coleman

St. John’s

Traylor-Sutton-Wyckoff- Bradley-Coleman

FIU

Traylor-Sutton-Wyckoff-Bradley-Coleman

Wake Forest

Traylor-Fuchs-Wyckoff-Bradley-Coleman

NC State

Traylor-Sutton-Wyckoff-Bradley-Coleman

Virginia

Traylor-Sutton-Wyckoff-Torres-Coleman

Maryland

Traylor-Sutton-Wyckoff-Torres-Coleman

SUTTON HAS CAREER HIGH Sophomore Angela Sutton was unstoppable in the second half of the Oakland game. The guard scored 15 of her career-high 19 points in the second half. She added five rebounds, five steals and three assists to her effort.

WHITING WOWS ‘EM After starting the first two games of the season, Shinikki Whiting came off the bench to score a game-high 21 points and helped the Seminoles overcome a 17-point deficit to defeat Oakland, 99-90. Whiting also had five rebounds, three assists and two steals.

SPRINGLE SPRINGS IT ON ‘EM Sophomore guard Lakesha Springle not only scored a career-high 16 points against Oakland, but the total was the first time in her career that she has scored in double digits and she doubled her previous high of eight points vs. USF last year.

COLEMAN EARNS SEASON’S FIRST ACC HONORLatavia Coleman was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week on Monday, November 22, after leading the Seminoles to victory in their season-opener.

Coleman scored a game-high 32 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds in FSU’s 77-70 win over visiting Tulsa. Coleman shot 80 percent from the field on 12-of-15 shooting, 62 percent from the free throw line on 8-of-13 and added a block and a steal to her nine rebounds in 33 minutes.

30-POINT CLUB AGAINLatavia Coleman ‘s 32 points vs. Tulsa makes it the third time the forward has earned 30-Point Club honors. Coleman did it twice last season with 30 vs. No. 3 La. Tech and a career-high 38 vs. No. 8 North Carolina.